Army restores communication, repairs bridges in flood-hit Harsil under ‘Operation Dharali’

UTTARKASHI(Uttarakhand): Under ‘Operation Dharali,’ the Indian Army has been victorious in its efforts to restore mobile and internet connectivity in Uttarakhand’s Harsil.

The Army managed to repair an optical fibre cable, meant for Army communication, which was damaged by flash floods.

Army signalers carried out the repair work amidst ongoing rescue operations in Dharali, ensuring communication links for the area.

In a parallel effort, bridges damaged by the floods were repaired at night on Friday near Limchigad, close to Harsil, despite continuing rain. The repair work was carried out jointly by Army personnel and the civil administration to restore connectivity in the affected region.

Amid devastation caused by the cloudburst, the rescue operations are underway with the disaster response forces trying to extricate those stranded in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi.

Pooja, a resident of Dehradun, was airlifted from near Dharali by the response forces. She had gone to her parents’ home to celebrate Rakshabandhan. After being rescued with her two children, she said that a lot of people lost their lives in the Uttarkashi tragedy.

“The situation there is bad. I could not tie a Rakhi to my brothers. I had planned to stay for a month, but I am leaving after just a week. I have two children with me. A lot of people there lost their lives,” Pooja tol.

Bharat Bhai, a senior citizen from Gujarat’s Ahemdabad, was also rescued by the disaster response forces. He was visiting Gangotri with a group of people from his home state when he found himself stuck in the hilly region for five days.

“We were stuck in Gangotri for five days. We were a group of people who ventured on the Char Dham Yatra. Some of the group members left earlier, but we got stuck,” he told.

Rescue operations in flood-affected regions of Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi continued through helicopters for the third consecutive day on Saturday morning.

The rescue operations are being carried out from the Matli helipad in Uttarkashi to the disaster-affected areas of Dharali and Harsil in Uttarakhand.
People trapped in the Dharali-Harsil disaster are being rescued through helicopters and brought to Matli helipad, from where arrangements have also been made to ensure their safe arrival at their destination.

The army camp in Harsil, which was swept away due to a cloudburst, paints a gory picture of the flash floods with its dilapidated remains.

The devastating flash floods in Uttarakhand’s Dharali and Harsil regions have left a trail of destruction, with survivors recounting harrowing moments of terror as they fought to save their lives.

Three days after the devastating floods hit Dharali and Harsil, a total of 566 people were evacuated by Friday noon from the affected areas. At the same time, personnel still carried out rescue operations for 300 people who were stranded.

At least five people have been reported dead, and 50 are still missing. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been actively involved in the rescue operations, utilising state-of-the-art equipment, including a victim locating camera and thermal imaging camera.

Dog squads have been deployed alongside rescue personnel to search for stranded individuals.

The mobile network was restored in the disaster-hit Harsil valley. However, the landslides have disrupted the Char Dham Yatra. (ANI)